INGLEWOOD — With one short and legal elbow, Lorenz Larkin made a loud statement with an early entry for Knockout of the Year.
Emerging from a clinch, Larkin cracked Mukhamed Berkhamov with a thudding elbow to the temple, instantly dropping the Russian for a first-round knockout in their rematch on the Bellator 290 preliminary card Saturday at The Forum.
The Riverside welterweight immediately celebrated, sitting atop the fence to the fans’ delight as Berkhamov (14-1, 1 NC) lay face down in the middle of the cage at 1:41 of the first round.
Even 𝘾𝙍𝘼𝙕𝙄𝙀𝙍 in slow-motion. What a KO by @da_MONSOON!
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“It feels so good,” Larkin said of the thunderous walk-off, which became a signature style of win for former UFC star Mark Hunt. “Just watching it you know and then the walk-off is just like homage to Mark Hunt, you know? It is not getting much better. My son, my fiancée, my daughter’s in the crowd.”
Larkin, who said he hopes to fight again at Bellator 293 on March 31 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, called it one of the most satisfying finishes of his career.
“He had this hype behind him. A lot of guys didn’t want to fight him. 14-0,” Larkin said.
Now undefeated in eight consecutive fights, Larkin (25-7, 2 NC) was looking for revenge after the two fought to a no contest at Bellator 283 in July. That fight was also halted midway through the opening round due to an elbow deemed to be a foul.
While fighting a takedown, Larkin connected with an illegal elbow to the back of Berkhamov’s head. Larkin believed Berkhamov’s reaction to the elbow, and saying he couldn’t continue, was delayed after the referee jumped in.
But Saturday night, Larkin landed a clean elbow to put to rest any…
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